Our mission here at SIS is to help you become a better YOU.
By eating healthily, keeping fit, finding balance, controlling your stress
levels and in general to be HEALTHY & HAPPY.

We first heard about AYURVEDA 10 years ago when we were just
starting out with SIS, at that time we had no clue what it meant or what the
benefits were. We quickly discovered that this ancient life science represents
exactly what we believe in.

Ayurveda considers human health to be the result of factors
that take place both inside and outside the body. Creating harmony between
body, mind and your environment is crucial in Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is an Eastern philosophy and healing method that
uses simple and natural remedies such as nutrition, lifestyle, medicinal herbs
and breathing exercises, but also meditation and yoga. Ayurveda assumes that
the health of the mind influences the health of the body and vice versa.

Ayurveda approaches everything from the positive side, so
from health and well-being and not from illness. Ayurveda is a natural health
system in which the self-healing capacity of the body is paramount. In books
about Ayurveda you read that doctors themselves are unable to cure a sick
person. Doctors give the body a helping hand to initiate the healing process,
but the extremely intelligent nature and body do all the necessary work.
Ayurveda offers support in the field of nutrition, lifestyle, treatments and
natural medication.

Ayurveda is not only for those who are sick or unhealthy,
the preventive health system is for everyone who wants to feel vital and
optimize their health. Education and guidelines are essential to enable every
individual to take control of their health and to become the best version of themselves!
Too often we are on the lookout for a magic medicine that will solve everything
for us, but your health requires work, discipline, dedication and a proactive
approach. Ayurveda offers many tools to sustainably reclaim, maintain and / or
optimize your health. You can consult an Ayurvedic doctor, but there is also a
lot that you can do at home.

Here our best Ayurvedic tips and tricks how to simply
incorporate ayurveda in your day to day:

To know what is best for you in Ayurveda terms you need to know your Ayurveda body-mind type (Dosha). An Ayurvedic doctor can determine this for you but you can also do this simple test to work out which Dosha you are, click here:

Massage:

In India it is very common to have a massage every now and
then. It balances your body and mind. But you can also give yourself a massage,
this is called ‘Abhyanga’ in Ayurvedic terms and can easily be included into
your daily routine. This Ayurvedic massage is an expression of self-love from
head to toe with warm oil.

Touch is an important human need. Massage has a positive
influence on hormone balance. The skin is the largest organ of the body; it
produces naturally occurring anti-depressants, anti-cancer and anti-ageing
substances and also hormones that improve circulation. Ayurvedic self-massage
is relaxing, energetic and nurturing. It is nourishing for body, mind and soul.
A short massage of 5 minutes is sufficient, but 20-30 minutes is better. The
massage is best performed in the morning, to support the energy levels
throughout the day.

How to give yourself a massage:

Reserve time for your massage

5-10 minutes is enough time to massage the oil over
your body

Start with a small amount of oil in your hands
and rub the oil on the scalp and the hair with your fingertips. If you prefer
not to apply oil to your hair, omit this step

Vigorously massage every part of your body with
the oil

Use long strokes on your limbs and circular
movements over your joints, chest and abdomen

Allow the oil to work in for 20-30 minutes
before you shower, but if you don’t have time, you can also rub the oil onto
the skin instead of using soap. Soap dries out the skin. It is best to shower
without using soap. The thin layer of oil that remains on the skin after
bathing keeps the skin hydrated. Instead of soap you can also try a herbal bath
powder.

Do this daily

Choose a massage oil that fits your Dosha.

For instance:

Vata type: Sesame oil

Pitta type: Coconut oil

Kapha type: Sunflower oil

The effects are enhanced by the use of an oil infused with
Ayurvedic herbs and flowers.

Nutrition:

Ayurvedic cooking consists of different guidelines for
different people. Every person, in spirit, soul and body, is unique, food that
is suitable for one person can cause disease for another. This has to do with
the ratio of the relevant Doshas and our Prakruti (constitution).

Western medicine indicates that all adults can eat 2,000
calories a day, assuming that everybody has the same metabolism. However,
Ayurveda recognizes 3 different body types (Vata, Pitta and Kapha), each of
which naturally digest their food differently and therefore have different
nutritional needs.

The philosophy is that if you know what constitution you
have, you will also know which foods are healthy for you or not. Then you will
not have to count calories or ban certain foods. No, from your constitution you
know what is good for you and what is less good for you, but you can basically
eat everything.

In general, Ayurvedic cooking means that you eat fresh meals
prepared with care and attention at regular times. The intention is that you
are consciously busy with food. According to Ayurveda unconscious eating
moments, for example eating in front of the TV, at business lunches or behind
the computer are not advisable, they disturb the Vata. Another important
guideline is that lunch should be the largest meal of the day and breakfast the
smallest. It is recommended to eat warm meals and regularly drink a glass of
water that is not colder than the body temperature. Alcohol and coffee are not
recommended. Ayurvedic dishes should also contain all six flavours: sweet,
sour, salty, bitter, sharp and astringent. Ayurvedic guidelines also have a lot
in common with the contemporary healthy eating guidelines: eating less sugar,
fat and salt, paying attention to eating whole foods etc.

What Ayurveda considers important in nutrition (in relation
to meals and a person’s constitution):

The taste

The quality

Warm or cold effect

Oily or dry food

Solid or liquid

Eating seasonal produce

In Ayurvedic cooking, fresh ingredients are used as much as
possible, such as: vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, nuts, milk, rice, honey and
various herbs. Whenever possible, canned, frozen or pre-packaged food with
preservatives should be avoided. Once you have learned to cook the Ayurvedic
way, you will experience that it is a varied, balanced and healthy way of
cooking and eating. In addition to traditional Eastern dishes, you can also
easily apply the Ayurvedic way of cooking when preparing more Western-inspired
dishes.

There are several free ayurvedic cooking courses online
available, as well as many youtube video´s if you want to learn more about
ayurvedic cooking.

Sports & Exercise:

Ayurveda considers exercise as important. However, excessive
exercise, such as top-level sports, is seen as unhealthy. When you enjoy
exercising, you will be more motivated. Therefore, choose a sport that suits
you, your Dosha type and your constitution.

Slim people, finely built and fast in their movements (Vata
type), are best to go ​​for a slow and light sport that keeps the body moving
for 15 to 20 minutes. For example walking, swimming, dancing and cycling. They
have to be careful not to overdo it and possibly move to indoor sports in the
winter because they don’t tolerate the cold so well.

People with a medium to strong physique (Pitta types) who
have a good temperature balance can make a little more effort. Suitable sports
are: water sports such as swimming and surfing, all types of sports that are
practiced outdoors (skiing, climbing, cycling, jogging and all ball and team
sports).

People who have a naturally slightly heavier build (Kapha
types), benefit particularly from regular sports. A Kapha type may also
exercise more intensively and for longer. We recommend: jogging, long-distance
running and rowing.

Ayurveda recommends daily exercise as part of your daily
routine, at least 30 minutes and preferably in the Kapha period of the day (6
a.m. – 10 a.m.). The evening is the best time to relax, rest and regenerate. It
is better to spend 15 – 30 minutes every day rather than once or twice a week
exhausting the body for a couple of hours.

In the summer months it is better to avoid doing your daily exercise
in the heat of the day. In general it is better to do more sports in spring,
autumn and winter rather than in the summer.

“Healthy exercise” means using half of your physical
strength from an Ayurvedic point of view. This means you should still be able
to talk easily, you sweat slightly, the breathing becomes deeper but you can
still breathe in and out through your nose. If you want, you can do small
intervals with a higher load (about 80% of the maximum load, until you really
start to sweat). A heart rate monitor is ideal for support and also gives you a
guideline for determining your personal maximum load.

In Ayurveda, yoga and meditation are essential for balancing
the individual Doshas. According to Ayurveda, yoga and meditation exercises
should be part of your daily schedule.

Yoga and meditation reduce mental stress and help you to relax
and unwind.

Meditation:

Meditation is a technique that has been around for thousands
of years and is aimed at increasing self-awareness, finding inner peace and
dealing better with stress. By meditating you will find that you will feel
better, both physically and mentally, and that you will gain more understanding
for others and the world around you. Some people feel that meditation is only
accessible to yogis, monks, or highly trained Buddhist masters. But meditation
does not have to be as difficult as it seems. The main characteristic of
meditation is that it is focused on the here and now.

Meditation ensures that you have more inner peace. This is
because you are no longer distracted by all kinds of busy thoughts, there is
room for new possibilities and insights in your life. Your thought processes
become calmer, you are less rushed and you release tensions more easily.

Meditation helps against fatigue – which is often caused by
wanting to do too much and thinking too much – and makes the mind clear and
rested again. It will also help against insomnia, migraines, anxiety, high
blood pressure and other stress-related physical conditions. If you meditate
regularly, you will get more mental and physical energy. You feel better and
therefore relationships with others become more harmonious.

Do you find meditation difficult? If you would like to learn more then click here:

Yoga:

Yoga ensures that body and mind are properly connected with
each other. Various postures (Asanas) and breathing exercises (Pranayama) are
used for this. This ensures a perfect balance.

Are you a stranger to Yoga but curious to know more? There
are several yoga instruction videos on youtube. For example ´Yoga with Adriene´
is a very nice one. She introduces you to the basics of yoga in a calm and
pleasant way. If you are completely new to yoga, the video below is very nice.
Step by step you learn poses that are not too difficult. If you are more
advanced, Adriene also has videos for back pain, muscle pain, better sleep, you
name it. Highly recommended!

Take responsibility for your health into your own hands!

If you would like to use your vacation time to restore a healthier lifestyle in a completely natural way an Ayurveda program is the right choice for you! We offer short Ayurveda programs, designed to get to know and understand Ayurveda, but also intensive cures like the Panchakarma, a total detox therapy of at least three weeks. Our Ayurveda programs are authentic and supervised by qualified Indian Ayurvedic practioners.